Life Marks: CHRISTMAS FAITH

BLOG 10 – CHRISTMAS FAITH We are not the first ones to be challenged to “believe” at Christmas time. I was reflecting upon some of the key passages of Scripture that tell us quite a bit about the birth of Jesus. It was the Angel Gabriel who constantly shows up

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LIFE MARKS: FAITH

BLOG #9 — FAITH When asked to give a definition of “FAITH” in his first Sunday school class, the little boy responded, “Faith is believing in something that you know isn’t true!” And, he’s not alone. For many, faith is wishful thinking for the gullible, choosing to believe in fantasies

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LIFEMARKS: REPENTANCE – WORKING HARD AT BEING GOOD, PART 8

REPENTANCE – WORKING HARD AT BEING GOOD (Part 8) We concluded our last blog with an understanding of the Father’s reason for the celebration given in honor of His lost son who had returned home. Remember, the younger son had “come to his senses” and confessed his sin and unworthiness

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LIFE MARKS: REPENTANCE – SUCH A CELEBRATION – BUT WHY? PART 7

REPENTANCE – SUCH A CELEBRATION – BUT WHY? Part 7 We concluded our last blog noting the surpassing value of a lost son who was found! When the shepherd returned with his lost sheep and the woman found her lost coin, they both called their friends and neighbors together to

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LIFE MARKS: REPENTANCE – SURPRISE! PART 6

LIFE MARKS– REPENTANCE – SURPRISE! After walking toward home for what must have been many days, the young man, thin from starvation and clothes torn and tattered, finally saw his village in the distance. At about the same time as the boy saw the village, the Father saw his son

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LIFE MARKS: REPENTANCE – WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH, PART 5

REPENTANCE – WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH Because repentance was such a critical part of His message, Jesus told several stories to illustrate it. We looked at one of those stories in Blog #3, and two more stories last week in Blog #4. Today, we will jump into the last

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LIFE MARKS: REPENTANCE – SUCH JOY! PART 4

REPENTANCE – SUCH JOY! In my first blog, I mentioned the fact that the message of repentance is woven throughout the New Testament. It was such a central part of Jesus’ message that He not only talked about the essential need for it, but He told stories about it as

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LIFE MARKS: JESUS ILLUSTRATES REPENTANCE, PART 3

LIFE MARKS: JESUS ILLUSTRATES REPENTANCE The Temple stood on Mt. Moriah, the highest and most prominent point in the city of Jerusalem. The Temple was where God met man, or we might say, where heaven met earth. It was a place where sacrifices were offered, and where atonement was made

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LIFE MARKS: REPENTANCE, PART 2

REPENTANCE, PART 2 As we saw last week, the message of repentance is prominent throughout the New Testament. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, and Paul all proclaimed the necessity of repentance. But just what does it mean to repent? The word “repent,” or “repentance,” comes from the Greek word metanoia,

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LIFE MARKS: REPENTANCE

REPENTANCE John the Baptist, the prophet who showed up in the Judean wilderness wearing a camel hair robe, a leather belt, and eating honey coated locusts, paved the way for Jesus’ ministry. The crowds gathered at the Jordan River to hear him preach a message of repentance. “Repent,” he said

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